Constrictor
Constrictor was Team UK Robotics' second entry in Robot Wars, after Rottweiler in Series 2. Constrictor exclusively fought in The Seventh Wars, and qualified out of its first-round melee over Fluffy and Scarey-Go-Round, before losing in the heat semi-final after being thrown out of the arena by Tsunami. Design It was a low profile robot that could produce decent speeds, which made it hard to control at times, and was armed with an innovative 10-bar pneumatic flipper that doubled as a crusher. The robot was armoured in 10mm Grade 500 high-density polyethelene with 3mm aluminium on the top, making Constrictor one of the first Robot Wars competitors to use the nowadays popular HDPE armour. The weapon could self-right, but the robot was fully invertible as well. The robot's drive system used 6.25:1 chain reduction. The robot was originally going to have a hydraulic grabbing/lifting claw, and would also have used a four-wheel drive system, but both ideas were scrapped due to weight constraints. Etymology The name Constrictor is a reference to the boa constrictor, a non-venomous snake which attempts to squeeze the life out of its prey, much like the robot Constrictor could do by lowering its weapon onto opponents. Qualification Constrictor was originally intended to enter Series 6, but was not finished in time for the qualifiers. At the Series 7 qualifiers, Constrictor fought Brutus Maximus, Mean Streak and Retirebot. Constrictor had to fight without a weapon because of a pneumatic system malfunction just before the battle. In the battle, Brutus Maximus used a net to immobilise Mean Streak, and because these weapons are not allowed, Mean Streak won the battle by default. However, Constrictor and Brutus Maximus received discretionary places to qualify. Robot History Series 7 In its first battle, Constrictor faced the experienced Fluffy and Killer Carrot 2 as well as newcomers Scarey-Go-Round. Constrictor's first attack was a drive into Killer Carrot 2, before it failed to get purchase on its opponent while raising its weapon - knocking the protective panel from its own weapon backwards. Constrictor continued to tussle with Killer Carrot 2 and slid under the front of its opponent, forcing its front upwards. Killer Carrot 2 then clamped down onto the top of Constrictor with its flipper and pushed it backwards, with Constrictor's protective panel falling off as Scarey-Go-Round bumped into it. Constrictor made its way over to Scarey-Go-Round, but moved away after failing to get into position to lift it. Killer Carrot 2 engaged with Constrictor again as it forced it backwards with a strong ram before attempting in vain overturn Constrictor with a flip. All four robots then met in the centre of the arena where Constrictor came in with a couple of tentative nudges, before driving into Fluffy, which was showing little signs of mobility. Suddenly, Constrictor found itself perilously close to the pit, which Killer Carrot 2 had just descended. With time ticking down, Constrictor and Killer Carrot 2 continued to jostle with one another, before cease was called. The battle ended with no robot counted out or officially eliminated, but the judges decided that Constrictor and Killer Carrot 2 had done enough to progress to the second round. In the next round, Constrictor faced the German robot Tsunami, which had flipped both Major Tom 3 and Diabolus out of the arena in its first round melee. Constrictor started by unsuccessfully trying to flick Tsunami up with its weapon before driving up onto Tsunami's front. The German machine threw Constrictor over - an attack which saw Constrictor's middle panel on top of it flop backwards. Constrictor flicked itself back over but failed with another lift of its weapon. Tsunami then came in with a strong side-on flip, sending Constrictor spiralling through the air once more and removing its top panel for a second battle in a row. Constrictor pressed itself upwards in an attempt to get itself the right way up again, but after multiple failed attempts to do so, Tsunami came in and lined up another attack, before driving Constrictor across the arena floor and hurling Constrictor out of the arena, eliminating it from the competition. Results |} Wins/Losses *Wins: 1 *Losses: 1 Series Record Outside Robot Wars Constrictor also entered the Techno Games Football Tournament, pairing up with Hellbent to form The Skeleton Crew. They beat the 2002 silver medallists Team Snow Kat 2-1 in the first round but lost 2-0 to Make Robotics in the quarter-finals. The team also built a featherweight robot called Flip, which fought at various live events. Trivia *Constrictor's link cover was believed to have been stolen by the House Robots' operators, as the "Killalot kiss my bot" sticker on the link cover disappeared without a trace when Constrictor was returned to the Pits. *Having not entered four wars and two series of Extreme since Rottweiler's appearance in Series 2, Team UK Robotics held the record for the longest gap between appearances on Robot Wars. The General was absent for an equal number of series, holding the record for longest absence due to its most recent appearance being in 2016. External links *Team UK Robotics website (archived) - Construction of Constrictor *Team UK Robotics website (archived) - Constrictor in Series 7 *Team UK Robotics website (archived) - Construction of Flip Category:UK Series competitors Category:Robots Thrown out of the Arena Category:Robots from Devon Category:Invertible Robots Category:Competitors in Techno Games Category:Animal Based Robots Category:Robots with an equal amount of Wins and Losses Category:Robots with Rear-hinged Flippers Category:Robots with Pincers Category:Robots which debuted in Series 7 Category:Robots which only fought in Series 7